Growing Calendula

Calendula is a flower, an edibile one, one that can be used in salads or as a food colour , in natural beauty products as well as being an excellent companion plant in the garden. Also it is very easy to grow and save seeds from. It is very attractive to pollinators, especially bees so we could grow it for them alone! When I was decided on what flowers to add to the seed collection, calendula was high up in the list, while it might not be top of your list to use in flower arrangements, it has so many good points it could not be left out. The Bell Meadow mix is an Art Shades of apricot, orange and cream so you will have lots of colour and interesting shades to enjoy I also find these shades can be a beautiful addition in bouquets as a supporting flower.

Calendula Seed packet, Photo by Una O’Connor Photography

I use calendula in many places in the garden, I always grow it beside carotts as a companion plant as it seems to keep bugs such as carrot fly away as the smell would mask the scent of what else is growing. I’ve yet to dedicate a bed to it as I like to mix it around the place! It happily sits in containers as well. It also serves as a sacrificial plant, sorry calendula, to slugs who might try to get to your plants, so the calendula will slow them down and allow you to pick them off or protect the vegetable or flower you are also growing beside it.

Calendula planted beside carrots and parnsips.

Calendula flowers and petals are edible and can make a really colourful addition to any dish. This is a photo of some edible flowers I grew last summer. If you use chemicals like weedkiller in your garden then obviously you shouldn’t eat anything from your garden and also its not advised to eat many herbals or edibles if pregnant so do check before eating. Baking tray of pansies, calendula in its different shades and nasturtiums. You can also find nasturtiums and borage in our seed shop from Picolo seeds. The pansies are planted in Autumn.

How to grow:
Plant type: Hardy  Annual

Average content: 150 seeds

Height: 30-45cm

When to sow: Feb ,March  indoors, April – June, Sept outdoors

Flowers : May to October, will flower over winter in a polytunnel

How to grow: Sow one or two seeds per plug indoors , 1/2in deep in a pot of seed compost. Water and acclimatise and before planting out. Can be also be easily sown directly where they are to flower. Sept sowing is for an earlier flowering the following year.

I sow indoors as I have exact positions in mind for the calendula and I’d rather plant a larger seedling that wait for it to grow from seed ouside in May, for example if I am putting at the end of a row of carrots I need it to be a certain height by May not just starting to germinate.

But it will germinate outside very easily and give you flowers in the summer so its up to you which method of sowing you’d prefer! Also you can sow the seeds outside in September where they will follow natures course and pop up seedlings the following Spring.

Deadhead regularly when blooming  to ensure continuous flowers. The flowers are edible and make a beautiful addition to salads. Calendula has many herbal and natural benefits. Makes a great companion plant, so plant extra alongside your vegetables.

When calendula goes to seed you can collect the seeds easily.

Thank you for reading,

Happy sowing

Maria